Italy’s Scapin Custom Carbon Ivor has been put through the paces and the results are very good. Refined finish work, a clean and easy build up with tube shapes and detail that push the boundaries of what a lot of people expect in “hand-made custom carbon”, all offered with a Lifetime Warranty from a company with decades in the business.

Very few have the cycling helmet knowledge to rival Giro. Already known for high safety and performance levels, Giro have partnered with MIPS to add some slippery, concussion mitigating tech to the new Savant.

Park Tool has been the industry standard for bike tools and stands for a very long time and for a darn good reason. You’re hard pressed to hit a shop without their stuff doing the daily duties. Their PRS-25 Team Issue stand is an impossible combination of shop-worthy clamp and great stability with the unlikely sidekick of light weight portability…

The Proviz Reflect 360 jacket uses a fabric that's as close as I’ve ever been to thinking something might be too visible at night… Oh, and the rest of the details that allow this swatch of material to be considered a jacket are not bad either… And we get their Nightrider Pack cover as well.

Loaded with SRAM’s Hydro S series (and Red 10), Zipp’s 30 wheels and Cockpit and Conti Gator Skins, Lynskey’s silver series Viale’ is handled by the same builders as frames costing 2-3 times the price.

Limar’s Velov Helmet & Sugoi’s new Zap Reflective Jacket are a couple of new things I’m wearing because being not dead is a lot more important than trying to look like a Blacked out bad ass… I mean do you really think you look “mean” or tough to the general public because the skin tight spandex you’re wearing is harder to see?

Cannondale’s Super X, SRAM’s CX1 group, American Classic’s Hurricane Disc wheels and Ergon CF3 post / SRX saddle all landed within a short period of time… Cue a mad scramble for tires, bar, stem and you wind up with an exceptionally smooth cross bike that removes any thoughts about shifting...

Quick. Name the family-owned Italian manufacturer producing pro-race winning frames exclusively in Italy since the 1950’s. Colnago, Pinarello, De Rosa all probably come to mind but Sarto are the family (and brand) still exclusively producing in Italy for more than 50 years and I have their new custom Energia Disc.

Quick. Name the family-owned Italian manufacturer producing pro-race winning frames exclusively in Italy since the 1950’s. Colnago, Pinarello, De Rosa all probably come to mind but Sarto are the family (and brand) still exclusively producing in Italy for more than 50 years and I have their new custom Energia Disc.

Silca have been the benchmark inflation company for decades. Starting in 1917, they’ve made pumps and tools that have been in use for what seems to be the entire time… How many companies in cycling have been around long enough that you don’t remember “back when they started”? PEZ recently checked out their latest instant classic - the Eolo III Co2 Inflation Head.

The new CX300 shoe by Lake Cycling keeps up the product line changes and advances. It may be the perfect warm weather addition as temps (at least in Arizona) are already in the 90’s, and shoe ventilation goes from marketing pitch line to an absolute concern.

The 2014 Sea Otter classic was another mix of good food, good riding, great gear and better than predicted weather. We snapped a few new bits from companies small & large… Ergon & Velo saddles, Xpedo pedals, Lake shoes, Lezyne tools, Nuun energy drinks, Rolf Prima wheels, and bikes from Divo and Scapin.